A general election has been called for Saturday 26th March 2022, Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced.

A March election has been rumoured over the last few weeks, particularly after Parliament approved some general election measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement comes a few months after the government presented its budget for 2022, along with some key initiatives like cannabis reform, a metro system and a race track in Ħal Far.

@lovinmaltaofficial 🚨 MALTA’S ELECTION IS COMING 🚨 #fyp #fypmalta #malta #lovinmalta #breakingnews #robertabela #primeminister #election #announcement #politics ♬ original sound – Lovin Malta

It marks a change in direction for Abela, who dispelled the possibility of a snap election during the Labour Party’s general conference at the start of September.

This will be the first time Abela will lead the Labour Party into an election after replacing Joseph Muscat following the political crisis that unfolded at the end of 2019.

The party is leading in the polls by a significant margin with the Nationalist Party failing to make any significant inroads despite the political crisis, greylisting, and the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the latest survey, the gap stands at around 50,000 votes.

It will be Bernard Grech’s first-ever election and will be a major test for the new PN leader, having been co-opted to parliament after he replaced Adrian Delia at the helm of the party in 2020.

This election is also set to see a number of new faces potentially enter parliament with heavyweights from both parties exiting the political arena over the last legislature, such as EU Commissioner Helena Dalli, Central Bank Governor Edward Scicluna, Chris Cardona, Joseph Muscat, EPP Secretary General Simon Busuttil, Marthese Portelli, and many others.